The street starts at
Canal Street (above Canal Street, the corresponding street is
uptown New Orleans'
St. Charles Avenue). Royal runs down through the
French Quarter,
Faubourg Marigny,
Bywater, and
Lower Ninth Ward neighborhoods to the
Jackson Barracks. The
Industrial Canal forms a gap in the street between the Bywater and Lower Ninth Ward neighborhoods. The finer antique stores display not simply items that are old, but such rare items as pieces of fine furniture owned by royalty of past centuries. The 800 block of Royal has traditionally been similar to the 700 Block, featuring various art galleries. Art galleries still line this block; however, the recent openings of The Vampire Cafe, Voodoo Bone Lady, and Sassy Magick Noir have transformed the block into a haven for the spiritual and spooky inclined. The 700 block of Royal features the galleries of New Orleans–based artists Ally Burguieres and
George Rodrigue. Despite
catastrophic effects of 2005's Hurricane Katrina in much of New Orleans, Royal Street was spared the flood, other than in the
lower ninth ward. The
French Quarter, originally the city itself, was built upon naturally-higher ground next to a curve in the
Mississippi River. ==See also==